The Rules of the Supreme Court (Northern Ireland) (Revision) 1980

Directions, etc., by Court

4.—(1) The Court by whom an originating summons is heard may, if the liability of the defendant to the plaintiff in respect of any claim made by the plaintiff is established, make such order in favour of the plaintiff as the nature of the case may require; but where the Court makes an order under this paragraph against a defendant who does not appear at the hearing, the order may be varied or revoked by a subsequent order of the Court on such terms as it thinks just.

(2) Unless on the first hearing of an originating summons the Court disposes of the summons altogether or orders the cause or matter begun by it to be remitted to a county court in accordance with the provisions of section 31 of the Act, or makes an order under rule 8, the Court shall give such directions as to further conduct of the proceedings as it thinks best adapted to secure the just, expeditious and economical disposal thereof.

(3) Without prejudice to the generality of paragraph (2); the Court shall, at as early a stage of the proceedings on the summons as appears to it to be practicable consider whether there is or may be a dispute as to fact and whether the just, expeditious and economical disposal of the proceedings can accordingly best be secured by hearing the summons on oral evidence or mainly on oral evidence and, if it thinks fit, may order that no further evidence shall be filed and that the summons shall be heard on oral evidence or partly on oral evidence, and partly on affidavit evidence, with or without cross-examination of any of the deponents, as it may direct.

(4) Without prejudice to the generality of paragraph (2), and subject to paragraph (3), the Court may give directions as to the filing of evidence and as to the attendance of deponents for cross-examination.